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Happy Thanksgiving
There is so much to be grateful for this season. My hope is that these Scam Spotter newsletters are effective in helping you, your family and your friends spot and avoid scams and ID theft attempts.
I will be even more grateful when the time comes that scammers find a more legitimate career and stop preying on unsuspecting people. We’ve said this before, anyone at any age can be caught off guard and fall for a scam, even professional fraud experts. Often those who were scammed are left feeling isolated, ashamed and vulnerable yet remain unwilling to share their experiences for fear of appearing foolish or not tech-savvy. As a result, many scams that could have been avoided if a victim had shared their experience with others, continue to happen.
This excerpt from the Washington Post “The nonstop scam economy is costing us more than just money", speaks to the toll being scammed can take.
We mostly think about scam calls and texts in terms of their financial costs to the people who fall for them. Consumers reported $5.8 billion in fraud to the Federal Trade Commission last year, a 70 percent increase from 2020. Falling for or engaging in one scam can lead to an increase in attempts. According to RoboKiller, an app for screening robocalls on phones, an average smartphone owner in the United States will get an estimated 42 spam texts and 28 spam calls a month. Once a number or email address spreads into more spammer databases, it can be bought and sold by the companies involved in the booming scam industry.
I am particularly thankful for the amazing and hardworking staff here at the Denver District Attorney’s Office. Each day they work diligently to help ensure the safety of the community while holding offenders accountable for their actions.
I am also thankful for each of you who take the time to read this newsletter and possibly learn how to be a scam spotter.
Best,
Beth
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